San Antonio trio Girl In A Coma learned and grew from a series of unfortunate events

If there’s a recurring theme that seems to
sum up the events of the past few years for Texas trio Girl In A Coma (including
the trio’s latest album, Exits & And All The Rest) it boils down to one word — growth.

Before Elizabeth
Harper fronted Class Actress, she had majored
in drama in college and moved to Los Angeles to follow her acting dream,
but found herself disillusioned. After relocating to Brooklyn, N.Y.,
Harper shifted her passion from the music of drama to the drama of
music.

Night Beats blaze their own trail by following a few already blazed

Carving your own upward path in the
perpetually congested music biz is an intimidating enough prospect on
its own. Yet Danny Lee — the driving force behind Seatlle Psych Rock trio Night Beats — has
opted to one-up this great dare: He wants not just to create his band’s
own fanbase but also his own scene. Kinda. Maybe.

The Natives are proving to be a major force in Cincinnati’s Hip Hop scene

For the very principled Natives, rules
are not sacred. The Cincy Hip Hop collective has been around in
this particular form for about three
years, playing local shows and building an increasingly large fan base. In January, the Natives self-released their debut album, Native America. This week, The Natives release their sophomore effort, Coup d’etat, a mere six months later.

Mixtapes stockpile their favorite songs to create Even on the Worst Nights

Mixtapes guitarist/vocalist Ryan Rockwell and his bandmates developed an interesting songwriting regimen after the release of their first recording. Whenever
Rockwell and Maura Weaver, Mixtapes’ guitarist/vocalist and Rockwell’s
songwriting partner, would hit on a particularly resonant tune, they
would relegate it to a slush pile of material for an album they
intended to serve as their full-length debut. Mixtapes’ song bank proved to be an effective strategy.

Belle Histoire tells its beautiful story and makes world-class music on full-length debut

Belle Histoire’s just-released full-length debut, Dreamers, is solid evidence of a sonic maturity beyond the band’s brief existence and relative youth. Dreamers’
expansive vibe suggests a heartland translation of The Cranberries with
dashes of Coldplay and U2, standing as a logical extension of the
band’s first two EPs, 2011’s Spirits and this year’s I Can Tell.

Revitalized by a new album, Perry Farrell now has decades of experience
“putting on a show,” especially with the work he’s done with his
trailblazing Lollapalooza, which continues to have a big influence on
today’s ever-expanding multi-act music festival scene, including
this weekend's Bunbury Music Festival in Cincinnati (which Jane's headlines Friday).

Cincy's Pomegranates gain a new member and new confidence with release of 'Heaven'

Recorded over 10 days last summer, Cincinnati Indie Pop quartet Pomegranates' new album Heaven
doesn’t stray impossibly far from the stylistic Art Pop structure that
has served Pomegranates well since their energetic debut —
a jittery love of Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Sparklehorse and ’50’s/’60s
Pop and R&B.

Art vs. Science makes organic Dance Rock with power and a positive spin

Although Art vs. Science fairly shivers
with the ghosts of early XTC, Devo and Shriekback, it was actually a
2007 Daft Punk show that moved keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Dan McNamee to abandon Indie Punk and adopt a
dancier Electronic Rock ethic.

Bunbury fest brings top AltRock to the riverfront this summer

Ten years ago, after the first MidPoint
Music Festival — that’s when you can trace back the origins of
Cincinnati’s upcoming three-day live music extravaganza, the Bunbury
Music Festival. After launching a festival that continues to grow and shine a light on
up-and-coming and on-the-verge acts, MPMF co-founder Bill Donabedian
thought, “What if we could do something like this for established acts?” This summer, he will.

It’s been four years since Santi White
(aka Santigold) dropped her stellar, genre-juggling debut. Some might
think that is a long layoff between albums, especially in a fickle
contemporary cultural landscape that moves quickly and without concern
for those who don’t try to keep up.